Mastery Quotes by Robert Greene to Inspire Creativity Towards Success

If you’re ready to step up from good to great to mastering an area, these Mastery quotes will point you towards success.

Do you ever wonder why some people rise to the top and make a name for themselves while the majority of others seem to just go through the motions day after day?

The book Mastery by Robert Greene looks at the lives of people like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Mozart to discover what similarities they share. 

These Mastery quotes are full of wisdom about how to pursue something better for yourself instead of settling for where you are. 

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Explore our complete collection of motivational quotes here.

Mastery quotes about creativity

1. “The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” – Robert Greene

2. “Creative endeavors are by their nature uncertain.” – Robert Greene  

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3. “What kills the creative force is not age or lack of talent, but our own spirit, our own attitude.” – Robert Greene  

4. “It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures.” – Robert Greene

5. “The truth is that creative activity is one that involves the entire self – our emotions, our levels of energy, our characters, and our minds.” – Robert Greene

Mastery quotes about failure

6. “Repeated failure will toughen your spirit and show you with absolute clarity how things must be done.” – Robert Greene

7. “There are two kinds of failure. The first comes from never trying out your ideas because you are afraid, or because you are waiting for the perfect time. This kind of failure you can never learn from, and such timidity will destroy you. The second kind comes from a bold and venturesome spirit. If you fail in this way, the hit that you take to your reputation is greatly outweighed by what you learn.” – Robert Greene

8. “The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.” – Robert Greene

9. “Mistakes and failures are precisely your means of education. They tell you about your own inadequacies.” – Robert Greene  

10. “A natural response when people feel overwhelmed is to retreat into various forms of passivity. If we don’t try too much in life, if we limit our circle of action, we can give ourselves the illusion of control. The less we attempt, the less chances of failure. If we can make it look like we are not really responsible for our fate, for what happens to us in life, then our apparent powerlessness is more palatable.” – Robert Greene

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Mastery quotes about taking action

11. “No one is really going to help you or give you direction. In fact, the odds are against you.” – Robert Greene

12. “Most people don’t have the patience to absorb their minds in the fine points and minutiae that are intrinsically part of their work. They are in a hurry to create effects and make a splash; they think in large brush strokes. Their work inevitably reveals their lack of attention to detail – it doesn’t connect deeply with the public, and it feels flimsy.” – Robert Greene  

13. “Mastery is not a question of genetics of luck, but of following your natural inclinations and the deep desires that stirs you from within.” – Robert Greene

14. “Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it.” – Robert Greene

15. “Power is not what we do but what we do not – hasty and unwise actions that we repeat every day and which ultimately bring us into trouble.” – Robert Greene  

16. “Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life’s artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.” – Robert Greene

17. “We must create our own world or we will die from inaction.” – Robert Greene  

Mastery quotes about having confidence

18. “Your faith in yourself should overcome your insecurities. Imagine yourself a king and you will become a king.” – Robert Greene

19. “Boldness makes even the smallest animal dangerous.” – Robert Greene  

20. “Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in your doubts about yourself – worth, your abilities, your potential. They will often disguise this as their objective opinion, but invariably it has a political purpose – they want to keep you down.” – Robert Greene

21. “Those qualities that separate us are often ridiculed by others or criticized by teachers. Because of these judgments, we might see our strengths as disabilities and try to work around them in order to fit in. But anything that is peculiar to our makeup is precisely what we must pay the deepest attention to and lean on in our rise to mastery.” – Robert Greene

22. “Never whine, never complain, never try to justify yourself.” – Robert Greene  

23. “It is up to you to set your own price. Ask for less and that is what you will get. Ask for more, however, and you send a signal that you are worth a king’s ransom. Even those who turn you down will respect your confidence, and that will pay off in ways you can’t imagine.” – Robert Greene  

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Knowledge and Mastery quotes

24. “Become the curator of life. Edit, leave out the junk. But when you find something worth keeping, treasure it.” – Robert Greene

25. “All of us have access to a higher form of intelligence, one that can allow us to see more of the world, to anticipate trends, to respond with speed and accuracy to any circumstance. This intelligence is cultivated by deeply immersing ourselves in a field of study and staying true to our inclinations, no matter how unconventional our approach might seem to others.” – Robert Greene

How can you apply these Mastery quotes to your life?

Reading quotes that motivate and inspire you is one thing.

But taking action, as you read above, is completely different.

If you really want to see changes in your life, you’re going to need to put the wise words you read into action. 

What direction do you feel led to move in after reading these quotes?

Make a list of things that you can do to start mastering an area that you’re passionate about and interested in.

Then, get to work on putting them into action and stay the course.

The only way to achieve a level of mastery is to keep moving forward. 

So, what’s your biggest takeaway from these Mastery quotes and lines?

Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.